The effectiveness of general physical exercise for individuals with chronic neck pain: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of general, whole-body, physical exercise interventions compared to usual care for individuals with chronic neck pain.

Materials and methods: Systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PEDro were searched. Data were extracted using a standardised data extraction table. Methodological quality was determined using the Cochrane Handbook risk of bias assessment tool.

Results: A total of 1601 unique records were identified and screened independently for eligibility by two reviewers. Nine randomised controlled trials were included in the review, reporting three types of physical exercise: individualised physical exercise, yoga and Pilates, and Tai Chi and Qigong. Overall, interventions utilising these modes of exercise delivery demonstrated significant improvements in neck pain intensity and neck disability.

Conclusions: Despite currently limited evidence being available on the effectiveness of general physical exercise in individuals with chronic neck pain, this systematic review identified nine studies that support the use of physical exercise. All studies found improvements in pain outcomes, and six studies found physical exercise to be more successful than usual care interventions. Further evidence is needed to confirm the effectiveness of physical exercise interventions with long-term follow-up periods.

Keywords:

• Neck pain
• chronic pain
• exercise
• physical activity
• systematic review

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.